Centre planning to bar bureaucrats from joining political parties soon after retirement.
Minister of state in the PMO V. Narayanasamy said the government is "open to the idea" of banning bureaucrats from joining a political party.
New Delhi: Close on the heels of the bitter war of words between former home secretary R.K. Singh and the UPA-II government, the Centre is planning to bar retired bureaucrats from joining political parties soon after retirement.
After rejecting a proposal of the Election Commission in this regard, the government is veering towards the view that a cooling-off period of two years may be necessary for retiring bureaucrats before they can formally join any political party to avoid "conflict of interest". Singh joined the BJP six months after he retired as home secretary in June 2013.
Speaking to this newspaper, minister of state in the PMO V. Narayanasamy said the government is “open to the idea" of banning bureaucrats from joining a political party immediately after leaving service. The Department of Personnel and Training has sought the opinion of the attorney-general in the matter.
"We have asked the AG for an opinion. We are open to the idea and a final decision is yet to be taken," Narayansamy said.
The apparent U-turn in the government’s stand comes at a time when Singh has stirred a major controversy, accusing his former boss, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, of interfering in postings and transfers in the Delhi police which, he said, could be for monetary gains.
The EC had moved a proposal to prevent retired bureaucrats from joining political parties in 2012 but the move had then been stalled by the government. The home ministry was of the opinion that it "may not be appropriate and feasible". Incidentally, Singh was the home secretary during this period. He retired from the MHA in June 2013.
( Source : dc )
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